For the past few weeks, my Windows 11 computer has been experiencing severe slowdowns, occasionally leading to a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). I suspect it's related to a memory leak since my memory usage spikes to around 95%. I've tried using PoolMon and WPA to analyze the situation, and ETW tags seem to dominate my findings. Using PerfMon, I see that 1DSListener is a significant contributor to the Buffer Memory Usage.
I've attempted to stop ETW sessions, which temporarily alleviates the leak, but they restart on their own. I've also tried capping buffers, reducing telemetry, and generally disabling DiagTrack, yet the issue persists.
I've performed several clean installations of Windows, tested different builds, and even tried various OS versions. With over 12 years in IT and InfoSec, I'm usually able to troubleshoot issues effectively, but I'm at a loss here. I'm genuinely seeking guidance to resolve this frustrating problem!
2 Answers
It sounds like a classic case of a memory leak. I’d recommend that you start by checking your dump files when you encounter the BSOD. These files can be found in the C:WindowsMinidump directory and are essential for diagnosing the crash. If you manage to get some dump files, try compressing them and uploading them to a file sharing service like catbox.moe. Having more than one dump file can really help pinpoint the issue!
Since you've already played around with software settings, it might be a good idea to examine your hardware. A failing hard drive or RAM stick could be contributing to these leaks and crashes. Even if your tests say everything 'passed,' it might be worth running them again just to be sure, especially after experiencing so many issues. Double-checking your hardware could save you a lot of time!
Thanks for the suggestion! I did run tests previously, but I’ll redo them—just to be on the safe side. Could a failing disk or RAM still pass the initial tests?